Strong winds, you, 4.5, winds 22-33, front foot in first.
Strong winds, me, 6.0, winds 22-33, back foot in first.
Both work. but you're heading in for a 4.0 while I'm just sticking it out for another 1/2 hour or 20 jibes, whichever comes first.

Well, I sailed at Swell for the last three days in a row, it was 18 to 30 all day today and I didn't see anyone rig and stay on a 6.0 sail. So you and Iso must be the only guys around who have the balls to do it. Today most of the men were on 4.2 and 3.7 and having a great time..... I guess we were all wiennies. I was on a 3.8, all day, and never had to rig another sail either.

Oh...and I got in the harness first every time and never got launched either!!! Imagine that.

Nothing to do with balls or weenies here....
Sometimes, the wind comes UP, when it starts slow and erratic. Might never have happenned to you, but it's happenned to a few other sailors besides Mike and I. In my case, hold on for an hour, done, in, and to bed.
Sometimes the wind also DIES. Never happenned to you, but it's slog, swim, sit on board and frogkick, but you wouldn't know, it's never died on you.

I'm in complete ah! of the Gorge cup racers. I once went out in the start boat and watched the juniors race in the national formula event, it was blowing around 28 at swell, so similar in the channel at the event site, and all the entrants rigged 8.5 sails and went for it. An amazing display of talent and guts.

Racing at that level with that equipment has no relation at all with what the vast majority of us do when sailing. And although I am fairly tolerant of the discussions on this site that are put off as normal, we are giving advice to a relative beginner here, and Zirtab states "Strong winds, me, 6.0, winds 22-33, back foot in first."

Well yesterday that advice would have gotten our OP flattened, perhaps injured, even at Stevenson in the afternoon, where at times it was averaging 28, so I have to call BS.

Well, I sailed at Swell for the last three days in a row, it was 18 to 30 all day today and I didn't see anyone rig and stay on a 6.0 sail.

Such bull there is here.

The difference is sensor calibration and correlation, not BS, at least in my case. Swell City's 25 is roughly Arlington's 30. I can't even plane on a bellied-out 6.2 when Arlington's sensor is averaging 20 mph. Gusts notwithstanding, a 5.7 would have been the optimal one-size-fits-all sail from 9 AM 'til 9 PM if Monday's sensor data plot from Swell City were applied at Arlington.

I suspect, but we'll never know, that Lee's 33 average is actually much lower out where he's sailing a 6.0 @ 150#, unless he's in total survival mode after rigging big to cross a major wind shadow. And FWIW, his humid air is less dense than our dry air.

we are giving advice to a relative beginner here, and Zirtab states "Strong winds, me, 6.0, winds 22-33, back foot in first."

Well yesterday that advice would have gotten our OP flattened, perhaps injured

I didn't interpret Lee's statement as advice. I read it as a combination of boasting (and that's purely my subjective opinion) and an example of what can be done (he admitted it is challenging even at his skill level) ... the edges of that performance envelope most people should be pushing if they want to improve. And if I were a novice or intermediate trying to handle WAY too much sail in gusty winds, I'd never dream of sticking my front foot in first, especially hooked in. I can think of no quicker invitation to a season-ending injury.

Racing at that level with that equipment has no relation at all with what the vast majority of us do when sailing. And although I am fairly tolerant of the discussions on this site that are put off as normal, we are giving advice to a relative beginner here, and Zirtab states "Strong winds, me, 6.0, winds 22-33, back foot in first."

Well yesterday that advice would have gotten our OP flattened, perhaps injured, even at Stevenson in the afternoon, where at times it was averaging 28, so I have to call BS.

Sorry if it ruffles the feathers.

KMF

Thanks for looking out, but im not quite that beginner In those conditions I would just start in the straps, or waterstart with the back foot in. Ive never gone for the back foot first once up on the board though, it just throws off my balance too much.

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